We need a movement that can disrupt state violence and capital accumulation, and in doing so, it would also be able to disrupt a war.
The escalation with Iran is very unlikely to result in an actual mass US ground troop deployment, which is what most people recognise as 'war', it could continue as drone strikes and oil tanker seizures for some time.
The US drone strike programme has been going for years with very little rhetorical let alone practical opposition, because it's seen as counter-terrorism/counter-insurgency, not 'war'. Hitting senior government figures is a real escalation but it's also consistent.
To disrupt capital accumulation, means proper grassroots workplace and community organisation against state violence, employers, landlords, some basic ideas of things to get involved with here.
libcom.org/blog/every-cha…
libcom.org/blog/every-cha…
This doesn't mean ignoring the war. But opposition to it absolutely cannot be allowed to be framed as fucking counter-terrorism of all things.
That counter-terrorism/pro-state logic is pushed by people with massive online platforms, they were also out this weekend pushing it to anti-war rallies. We can emphasise actual international working class solidarity instead.
This means promoting mass movements within Iran while developing our own. The Democrats write off the entire Iranian public as 'evil doers', while pro-Iran sources write off any mass movement there as Israel/Saudi/US funded.
War doesn't only involve conflict abroad, it means the disciplining of racialised and working class people at home. The US has already stepped up surveillance of Iranian nationals in the wake of its own attack.
latimes.com/california/sto…
latimes.com/california/sto…
And Iran will also use this event to justify repression of workplace organisers or the recent protests against fuel hikes. Bolstering their narrative that these are the work of foreign agents.
Some of the most disruptive actions against war haven't come from anti-war movements as such, but from rejcting the demand to suspend class struggle in the 'national interest', such as wildcats strikes in the US during WWII.
libcom.org/library/strugg…
libcom.org/library/strugg…
In 2002-3 firefighters went on strike despite rather than because of the Iraq war build up, and were called terrorists by Labour government ministers.
libcom.org/history/fire-f…
libcom.org/history/fire-f…
Workers in logistics are best places to disrupt war efforts directly. This happened recently when French dockworksrs refused to load arms headed for Saudi Arabia for use against Yemen.
libcom.org/news/marseille…
libcom.org/news/marseille…
Organised workplaces and communities are able to respond to multiple issues, whether direct attacks on wages or conditions, war build up, or the climate crisis. However we need to recognise that that kind of organisation is at a relatively low ebb.
There are signs of that ebb turning though, such as the teacher strike wave in the US. Which was able to beat both Republican controlled States and sometimes hostile union leadership.
libcom.org/library/teache…
libcom.org/library/teache…
